Slacker Blogger!

Wow! Has it really been over 2 months since I have posted? I guess either one of two things has happened to cause that...1)I have nothing exciting to say that I think people would be interested in reading, or 2)We have been so crazy busy that I don't have time to sit and gather thoughts to write. Acutally I think it is probably a little of both! But that said, I must say that I am not the only one who has slacked off on my blogging! I have a list of blogs that I am religious about checking and none of those people have blogged either. I'm wondering...is blogging already going out of style? Has twitter really replaced the blog? I really hope not! I must say I will be so sad if that is the case! Maybe it is just the time of year. Nobody has time right now to write about what's going on in there life. I know that is the case for me...right now I'm just lucky to have 2 year old who is entertaining himself by stacking chairs!

Anyway! As far as we go, it is still football season! We will be headed to the playoffs next week! We don't get to see Daddy alot right now but we have lots of fun when we do! We love going to football games..yes gameS...everyweek and cheering on the Eagles! That is our life right now...well probably forever!

Bryson is growing like a weed! He definitely has a mind of his own and is not afraid to use it! We are amazed everyday by some of the things that come out of his mouth and by the things that he figures out! He loves to play games! Red light Green Light is his favorite at the moment! Only bad part about that is that now he knows what all the lights mean when we are driving and he has become quite the little backseat driver! And I must say that he is a very handsome little boy!

I'm loving staying home! It is definitely a hard job but worth every minute! Every time I even think I've had a bad day I ask myself, "would you rather be teaching 650 other peoples kids?" and of course the answer is always a BIG FAT NO!!

We are pretty sure we are close to selling our House in NRH. We have a contract and we are just waiting on all the details! That will make our life a lot easier!

We do have one other piece of exciting business....Bryson is going to be a big brother in May! We are very excited to start a new life as a family of FOUR...that sounds weird!

Anyway! I'm not going to lie...it will probably be another 2 months before I post again...but I'll leave a couple of pictures of my handsome boy to hold you over!

First Day of School!

Well today is a big day in my family! It is the first day of school. My entire life, this day of every year has been huge! Well, for me this year is different. It is the first time since I was 6 years old that I will not be going back to school....weird huh? I will say that I had been fine and that it had not hit me until yesterday morning at church. Our pastor asked all teachers to stand so that we could pray for them and this coming school year....well if you know me, you know that my parents are teachers, my bro and sis in law are teachers, and my husband is a teacher. Therefore, the entire row of people I was sitting with stood...except for me. THAT Was Weird! But good in the same way! I did feel a little relieved. Anyway! A year ago a great friend of mine was going through the same thing I am today and she blogged about it on her blog. I'll put the link b/c she summed it up perfectly! (The only difference I think is that Matthew really does have his dream job...I'm sure some days he would not admit it but...we all know there is nothing better for him to be doing!)

http://bethanyleann.blogspot.com/2008/08/back-to-school.html

So to all of my family and friends: I pray that you have a great year this year and that you know you are impacting the life of every child you teach! Remember that teaching is the best job in the world....ASIDE FROM BEING A MOMMY! Have a great first day of school!

Where has summer gone?

WOW! How can it already be July 20th? I don't understand! Even more than that...Matthew goes back to work for football in less than 2 weeks!!! I cannot believe how quickly summer has gone by this year! I'm sure it is because we stayed completely busy all summer. Matthew taught summer school, we had a week long vacation in Tennessee, we went on an anniversary weekend! And now, here we are, less than two weeks left! Even now Matthew is at coaching school through Wednesday and he has 2 days of training next week so really even these two weeks won't be much of a break for him. Oh well. One fun thing though is that his parents are coming Thursday to stay a week with us! It is always nice when they get to come to our house. Bryson really enjoys having their undivided (usually it is divided by 5) attention! Then we will go back to Temple with them to spend some time with his aunts and uncles! That will pretty much be our last trip to Temple until Christmas other than a one day trip for Kaci's wedding. Once football starts we don't get Matthew for the weekends...but it is okay because he truely loves his job...and hopefully that will mean another STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RING! Anyway here are a few pics of our adventures over the last few weeks....most being from Tennessee. LATER!

Summer Days!

Today we spent lots of time at Grammy and PawPaw's house swimming! Bryson is very much a "water baby" but over the last couple of days he continues to get braver by the minute. Here is a video of him jumping and doing his version of a dive (belly flop) into the pool!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAz9G9Wdl08

The End of a Chapter!

Well, I am officially no longer a teacher...in a formal setting that is....I know I will always be a teacher! I must say that I did have a little bit of a break down when, in my excitement, I turned around to tell Bryson, "Bryson guess what! Mommy is not a teacher anymore!" And then it hit me...I just walked out of the building as a teacher for the last time (and I cried). Don't get me wrong...I am so excited and greatful that I am able to stay home with Bryson, but it is just a little weird knowing that I won't go back anymore, knowing that someone else will be taking over my classroom and my kids! I know it will probably hit me even more mid August when everyone else in my life....and I mean everyone....husband, mom, dad, brother 1, sister in law, and brother 2 will all be going back to school! So for now I am going to enjoy the summer with my family, try to get some new routines into place and start to figure out this whole stay at home mom thing! I know it is going to be the hardest yet most rewarding job I will ever have and I will never regret the decision that we made! So for now "so long" to the world of education!

Just for fun a picture of my precious BIG BOY!!

Do I hear a little Handel??!?!!?

Haaaaallelujah! Haaaaallelujah! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Ha l-ay lu jah!! Tomorrow is the last day of school!!!!! I am soooo excited! I will officially be a stay at home mommy at 2:55!

4 more days!!!

Count Down...

5 more days until I am a STAY AT HOME MOMMY!!!!

Friends

This post is going to be about friends which is funny b/c I really do not have a whole lot of friends! I have always been a "quality not quantity" kind of girl! But I will tell you that the friends that I do have are amazing! This is probably going to sound a little sappy, and well, I really don't care. I have 3 (well i have more than 3 but these are the ones I'm talking about today) really great friends that am so thankful that God put them in my life! It is funny how God matches you with people are are different from you in so many ways yet so much like you also! Unfortunately, not one of these friends live anywhere close to me so several times a year I go through a phase where I truely, honestly miss my friends! We are very faithful and have been over the last 5 years (since we all started getting married) at getting together a few times a year but those weekends just go so fast! Thank goodness for technology! We stay in touch that way the most and can stay caught up with each others kiddos and families but of course in person would be way better! So all this to say, I think I'm going through a phase! I can't wait to see my friends again and just hang out! My favorite part of us getting together is that it is always like we were not apart....I guess that is what true friendship is! Anyway! Just thought write to say that I am thankful for my friends and can't wait to see them again...in August or whenever it may be!!

My 8s (tagged by Bethany)

8 things I am looking forward to
1. School being OUT!!
2. Staying home with My precious little boy!
3. Going to Tennessee

4. Going to the lake Saturday

5. Watching Bryson learn to ride his bike
6. Hanging out with other moms from Church

7. Going to Ranger Games
8. Doing a whole lot of nothing for the holiday weekend

8 things I did yesterday
1. Went to school
2. Umpired a kickball game

3. when to church

4. went to the store

5. Had chicken for dinner
6. checked facebook

7. Made a new friend

8. Picked up the living room

8 things I wish I could do
1. Stay caught up on Laundry

2. Keep my house clean
3. Live headache free for a week!

4. Fly anywhere I needed to go

5. Sleep all night every night
6. Train for another 1/2 marathon

7. Invent something

8. See my friends more often

8 shows I watch
1. The Biggest Loser
2. Lie to Me

3. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

4. Rules of Engagement
5. Grey's Anatomy
6. Big Bang Theory

7. How I Met Your Mother
8. House Hunters

8 people I tag
I don't even know 8 people!!

Just Something to Make you Smile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAQBmQUeXj8&feature=player_embedded

One Month to Live

Kind of a strange title for a post I must admit, but, for the last six weeks our church has been going through a sermon series with this title...One month to live. Basically it gets you thinking about how you would live your life it you knew that you only had one month to live and it challenges you to live that way all of the time. One of the big things that the study talks about is how you are living your "dash." That refers to the dash between birth date and death date on your tombstone. Today's semon was focused on leaving a legacy and what we want the end of our story to look like. Pastor Chad challenged us to figure out what we want our end to look like. What legacy do I want to leave behind? What do we want for people to remember us by when we are gone? Am I living today as if I only had one month to live? Would I leave behind the legacy that I really want to leave behind or will I be forgotten? Interesting to think about and a little difficult to grasp, but here is what I have come up with so far...I'm sure I will be changing and adding to as I have more time to think about it.

I want people to remember me as a person who:
1. Loved the Lord and showed it through my life.
2. Loved and provided for my family spiritually and emotionally.
3. Showed compassion to others.
4. Had a passion for worship.
5. Had a passion for teaching children.
6. Had a helpful hand.
7. Lived everyday as if it were my last.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYSON!!!

Well today is the day. In exactly 2 1/2 hours Bryson will officially be 2 years old. It is so crazy to think that only 2 years ago I was in the hospital in a massive amount of pain (b/c the nurse upped my pit every 15 minutes!!) waiting for a baby to arrive...not knowing it was going to be a boy! Now we have an amazingly smart little man running around our house telling me that his favorite animal is a goat because he likes to brush their hair!! (Only b/c he did that this weekend at the zoo!) I love this age...honestly I think Bryson has been in his "terrible 2s" for a while now...he is quite advanced : )...But I love it! I love that he has a mind of his own and questions me when I tell him something! I love that he wants to understand why things are the way they are and he is already a very independent little boy. I love how sensitive he his toward others...he wants people to be happy and he will love on you until you can't help but smile! I love his smile! I love his laugh! I love how he wants to put his clothes on by himself but everytime something ends up backwards! I love that he is already a sports fanatic! Duh, how could he not be!! I love it when he comes to our bed in the morning and says "Mommy, sing a song."! I love it when his night time prayer takes 10 minutes because he thanks God for everything and everyone he can think of! I love how laid back he is! I love how much he loves me! I love it when he says, "I love you lot, mamacita!!" I just love my little boy! The last 2 years have been amazing and even though I can't believe how fast they have gone I am so happy we are where we are right now! So now that you know how much I love him...here are a few pictures!


Asleep in the bathtub during a really bad storm!


Taking pictures for birthday invitations!

Oh my Goodness...How time Flies!!

Well obviously from my post title you can see that I am beginning the shock phase of Bryson turning 2! Over the last couple of weeks I have been doing little things here and there to get ready for his party and it is starting to get to me a little bit now. I just can't believe that he is almost 2...how is that possible! I always thought people were just saying the whole "it feels like yesterday" thing, but now I really want to say that! And I know 2 years is not a huge amount of time but it really makes you think about how fast the rest will go, I mean only 3 years and he'll be starting school! CRAZY!!! Anyway! His party is going to be so much fun! It has a puppy theme and I'm making really cute cupcakes instead of a cake! I'm so excited! I'm sure I'll post pictures! I ordered his Birthday invitations last night and they looked cute online so we'll see how they turn out! I was never really big on fancy parties for little kids, and I'm still not, but we have like 35 people just in our family so every party is huge! So to spare my house, we are going to have it at the park and a I rented this little clubhouse! It will be fun! Well, as I do more I will post more!

Potty Training 101!

Wow! What a crazy couple of weeks we have had!! Since I posted last, we have been to Oklahoma and back, finished two sets of antibiotics (Matthew and Bryson both had sinus infections), started school and starting potty training! Crazy, Crazy, Crazy! But you know...for the most part it has all been great! (Well except the getting up early again to go to school!) Matthew and I decided that we were going to start working with Bryson hardcore over the Christmas break on potty training because we would both be home and could set a good routine and schedule that would hopefully help it go smoother! Being that Bryson is our first child to potty train I have been all ears for advice for the last several months and we have utilized most of what we have heard...well except the part about letting your kid carry their toilet all over the house to find a place to go...that grosses me out! The biggest thing that we decided a long time ago was NO pull-ups! I'm not really big on them b/c they are just diapers and I just think it takes kids longer to realize that they are not supossed to be going in their pants when they can't feel it. Sooo, we have been using cloth training pants which are a little bit thicker than underwear but boy can he feel it when he has an accident! Pretty much the only time we have been using a pull-up is for sleep. So here we are less than 2 weeks from day one and he usually only has one accident a day which of course is poop...but who cares...the rest of the day he is accident free and loves to go pee in the big potty. And the best part about it is that he has been on the one accident thing for almost a whole week! It is awesome! I just love watching how excited he gets when he is successful at something and he is only 2! What am I going to do as he gets older?!?! Anyway...YAY FOR BRYSON!